Missing Scene: If You Could See What I See
by poohblaze
Summary: Like the title says


Author's Notes: Written for a quick little experiment on the Yahoo group. So please, by all that's sacred don't expect much! This is a missing scene from "If You Could See What I See." It's right after the Judge finds Mark. Mark says, "What took you so long?" The prompt was, what should the judge say in reply? Thanks to Owlcroft for the inspiration. There are other great response that I hope will be posted here.

Missing Scene: "If You Could See What I See"

"What took you so long?"

Hardcastle swallowed once and gently touched McCormick's cheek.

"Traffic."

Mark's eyes scanned the judge's face. His eyes were becoming  
unfocused. Hardcastle gave his cheek a tap. "Hey, hey."

Mark blinked up at him. He was trying to stay awake , to stay with  
the judge, but the effort was exhausting him. Everything felt  
distant and muffled. He was only dimly aware of the fact that the  
judge was touching his face. He tried to concentrate on that.  
Hardcastle's fingers on his cheek.

Hardcastle gave him a long, searching look. He wasn't  
reassured. "Mark. Mark, listen. Can you listen?"

Too tired to even nod, Mark simply stared back at him.

Hardcastle bit his lip and stared desperately up the slope. Then he  
looked back at Mark. "I'll be right back, okay. You just hang on.  
I'll be right back. Right back."

Mark stared up at him uncomprehendingly. Hardcastle had to steel  
himself to move away from him. But he had to leave. Mark needed help  
and he had to leave. He rose quickly from his crouch and backed  
away. Then he turned and started to scramble up the hill, cursing  
the mud that slowed him down and made him watch his step.

Millie stood on the road looking down pityingly at him. Her arms  
were folded across her chest. She stood like a statue, sad and  
certain. Hardcastle finally made it up to her, panting with the  
effort. He fished in his pocket and held out the truck keys. "He's alive. I need you to get help. Go back and get Frank. He's right  
down the road."

Millie didn't reach for the keys. She stared blankly at  
him. "Alive?"

"Yes, alive," Hardcastle said impatiently and jiggled the keys.

"I don't understand. My vision . . ."

Hardcastle grabbed her hand and closed her fingers around the  
keys. "Get help. Tell Frank we need an ambulance."

Millie stared at the keys and then up at the judge's face. Her eyes  
were wide, her expression blank. Hardcastle stared intently back. He  
had no time for this. Millie abruptly shook herself. "Judge, I have  
some first aid. Maybe you should go get help while I . . ." She  
trailed off and held the keys out tentatively to him.

Hardcastle stared down at her hand. Her hand was steady. His, he  
knew, were shaking. Millie was being logical. Maybe Millie could  
help McCormick more than he could. Maybe he should be the one to  
leave. He stared back down the hill. Mark hadn't moved. 'What took  
you so long?' Of all things to say. Mark had waited for him. All  
the long night Mark hadn't moved and had waited for him. For him.

"No," he said firmly. "You go. Frank is five minutes away. Go."

Millie took one last look at his face and then, without a word,  
turned and headed for the truck. Hardcastle didn't wait to see her  
go.

Blackness was edging Mark's vision. The darkness was coming for him. He knew all he had to do was wait but he didn't know how  
long it would be. He didn't know if he could wait that long. The cut  
on his cheek throbbed. Hadn't the judge been here? Had he dreamed  
it? He wasn't sure. He was only sure of one thing, that he had to  
wait for the judge. He would find him.

Hardcastle scrambled down the hill as quickly as he could. Mark was  
so still he couldn't even see him breathing. Once again he felt his  
throat close up. Please God. After this night, he was so used to  
talking to God that he had abbreviated all of his prayers to those  
two words: 'Please, God.'

Mark's eyes were half-closed by the time he got to him. Hardcastle  
sank down to the muddy forest floor and again touched his  
face. "Still with me, kiddo?" He said gently.

The words seemed to come from a long way away. Mark summoned his  
remaining strength and blinked his eyes clear to see the judge  
hovering over him. "I didn't dream it," he murmured. "It was you."

Hardcastle studied him anxiously. In the short time he'd been gone,  
Mark seemed to have gotten weaker. He cleared his throat. "Of course  
it was me," he said gruffly. "Who else would it be?"

"No one," Mark said tiredly. "There's no one else."


End file.
